The OsintFlow team has obtained personal data on military personnel serving with the 1st Volunteer Reconnaissance and Assault Brigade “Wolves” (Volki), a unit of Russia’s Volunteer Assault Corps (Military Unit 71474, Luhansk) linked to Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). The identified personnel are taking part in combat operations in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The 1st Volunteer Reconnaissance and Assault Brigade “Wolves” (Volki) is a Russian volunteer military unit fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine. It was formed in 2022 as a volunteer detachment and was later expanded into a brigade. The “Wolves” are now part of the Volunteer Assault Corps.
The Volunteer Assault Corps was established by the Russian military command as an umbrella structure for volunteer units fighting in Ukraine. It includes the “Wolves,” “Veterans,” “Alexander Nevsky,” “George the Victorious,” and “Sever Z” brigades, as well as the Cossack formations “Don,” “Terek,” and “Dnepr.” OsintFlow previously examined the structure of the Volunteer Assault Corps and its links to Russian military structures in its investigation into the “Krym” Assault Battalion.
The “Wolves” are also connected to the Redut network. An RFE/RL investigation, “The Redut Ruse: Inside Russia’s Fake Private Mercenary Company Fighting In Ukraine”, found that Redut was used to recruit personnel for Russian armed formations and was linked to Russia’s military intelligence, the GRU. The investigation by Schemes and Systema also documented connections between Redut and the “Wolves.”